Counter-terrorism Expert States Cyberthreats Should Never Be Taken Lightly

Computer World posted a short news piece quoting the former director of the CIA’s Counter-terrorism Center Cofer Black as he explained why Cyberthreats needs to be taken more seriously by the nation. Cofer Black played a key role during the first term of the George W. Bush administration and was one of the counter-terrorism experts made aware of a likely attack on American soil prior to the September 11th attacks.

Black noted that the people in a position with the power to act on these warnings were unwilling to act without some measure of validation. He goes on to say that while the general public was blindsided by the September 11th attacks, “I can tell that neither myself nor my people in counter-terrorism were surprised at all.”

With cyber warfare becoming increasingly utilized as an attack vector to foreign adversaries, the need for quick responses to threats will only increase. Further, the demand on security professionals to search for and validate threats for those in power to enact a response will be a major issue in the coming years. “The escalatory nature of such threats is often not understood or appreciated until they are validate,” Black offered in regards to the challenges decision makers face. He believes that the decision makers do listen to the threats; however, they do not believe them. This behavior, he believes, will hinder the US’ ability to properly respond to likely threats.

With the recent announcement by the Department of Defense that physical retaliation to Internet based attacks (in addition to counter attacks) may be necessary, the need to quickly respond to likely threats proactively is all the more imperative. Do you believe tomorrows battles will encompass the digital plane as much as real life?